Hatch cover lock



Dec. 20, 1955 E. s. CISCO HATCH COVER LOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1 1951 INVENTQR. [we/"4Z5 C4560,

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United States Patent HATCH COVER LOCK Edward S. Cisco, Highland, Ind., assignor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application June 1, 1951, Serial No. 229,324 11 Claims. (c1. 292-2565) This invention relates to improvements in hatch cover locks and is particularly applicable to the hatch covers of railway cars of the covered bulk commodity type, but, with slight modifications in design to suit the particular hatch frame conditions, the principle of the present cover lock may be readily applicable to refrigerator car or ship hatch covers.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a hatch cover lock which is applicable to and, therefore, entirely carried by the hatch cover, and, consequently, may be, if desired, assembled with the hatch cover, so that when the hatch cover is then hinged to the hatch frame of the car or ship, the lock is immediately ready for use. Present practice is to provide the hatch covers and the hatch cover locks separately with part of the lock applied to the cover and part to the hatch frame which results in additional assembly cost for the builder of the equipment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lock having an eccentric pin which may be adjusted, after the hatch cover is applied to a hatch frame, to suit the particular hatch frame conditions, and then fixed in that adjusted position.

A further object is to provide a lock having an operating handle which moves in a horizontal plane substantially parallel with but spaced from the hatch cover a short distance, so there will be no parts of the mechanism projecting any considerable distance above the roof to trip trainmen who must walk upon the roof of the car.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my improved hatch cover lock illustrating a portion of the hatch cover to which the lock is applied, and a portion of the hatch frame.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the improved lock showing a portion of the hatch frame and cover in section.

Fig. 3 is a front view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged top view of the locking dog.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the eccentric pin for supporting the dog.

This application is an improvement over the hatch cover lock illustrated in my former application, Serial No. 203,746, filed December 30, 1950, now Patent No. 2,679,418 issued May 25, 1954, wherein the operating handle moves in a vertical plane, which is objectionable in certain conditions. The handle in my present application moves in a horizontal plane, overcoming said objections to my former design.

In the drawings, a portion of the hatch frame is indicated at 15, and, in hopper car roofs, usually consists of a rectangular box-like structure, the walls of which project above and below the plane of the car roof, or ships deck, as the case may be, and are provided with an a hole on at the juncture .vided having an edge of one outwardly and downwardly inclined flanged upper margin 16 which extends all around the hatch frame.

A portion of the hatch cover is shown at 17, which portion is the side margin opposite to the side which is hinged to the hatch frame, and which margin is provided with a downturned flange 18 which overlaps flange 16. It is to this margin my improved hatch cover lock is applied.

The lock bracket comprises a rectangular base plate 20 which is welded flatwise to the outer margin 17 of the hatch cover. Base plate 20 is provided with a flange 21 which overlaps flange 18. A Z-shaped pressing is proarm 22 thereof cut out so as to overlap flange 21 and the adjacent portion of base 20 and be welded edge wise thereto. Arm 22 is bent at right angles providing a web 23 which is narrowed and terminates in a relatively short flange 24, bent at right angles to web 23, and provided with a hole 25 therethrough for purposes hereinafter described. An angle pressing is provided comprising an arm 26, the edge of which is welded to arm 22 in spaced relation to web 23 and arm 26 is bent at right angles forming arm 27 which extends to and is welded edgewise to base 20, the arm 27 being narrower than arm 26 and having a hole 28 therethrough, the axes of holes 25 and 23 occurring in the same vertical plane. A wall 29 is secured edgewise to and overlapping the flange 21 and adjacent portion of base plate 20 and extends parallel with and spaced from the lower part of arm 22 and conforms to the shape thereof. Wall 29 and arm 22 are provided with aiined holes 30 and 31, the hole 30 being larger than the hole 31.

Between the web 23 and arm 26, which form spaced walls, a bell crank operating handle is mounted, said handle having a relatively long narrow, flat handle portion and a short crank portion 39 extending at right angles thereto from one end of said handle portion, with of the handle and crank por- Web 23 and arm 26 are also provided with alined holes 37-37 so that a drive-lock pin 38 may be driven through said holes and hole 36 to form a pivotal mounting of said operating handle in said bracket. Near the end of said crank portion 39 is a pin 40 extending laterally therefrom. When in operable position on a hopper car lid the flat surfaces of said handle move in a plane parallel with said lid.

Between the wall 29 and arm 22 is eccentrically pivotally mounted the locking dog which in side elevation v dog in assembled relation.

forming a pintle mounting of thebody portion of the dog. Portion 52 is rectangular in plan view and is provided with an irreguis substantially J-shaped. Generally said dog is of flat material with an embossrnent 4s projecting laterally from opposite sides thereof adjacent the upper end through which is formed a hole 47 to accommodate a pin for the dog in the bracket.

The pin for such mounting has a head 48, adjacent which is a short concentric journal portion 49, which fits within hole 35 in wall 29. Adjacent portion 49 is an eccentric journal portion 50 which fits within the hole 47 in the enibossments 4-646, and adjacent portion 50 is a second concentric portion 51 smaller than concentric portion 49 and fitting within hole 31 in arm 22. Finally, adjacent portion 51, is an externally threaded concentric portion on which is applied a nut to hold the pin and Across the top of the dog is a portion 52., which has an arcuate upper surface, and extends laterally on both sides of the dog and in a plane substantially normal to substantially larly shaped opening 53 therethrough into which pin 40 of the operating handle extends. The shape of this opening is determined by the fact that handle pin 40 rotates in an arc in a horizontal plane While extending with- Pa tented Dec. 20, 1955 in opening 53 of the locking dog which rotates through an arc in a vertical plane sufiicient for the dog to clear the flange 16. Consequently, the side walls of the opening incline in one direction at one end of said opening and in the other direction at the other end of the opening, and progressively from one inclination to the other between the ends of the opening. See dotted lines, Fig. 2. The pin always extends vertically while moving in an arc in a horizontal plane with the sides of the pin in contact with the side walls of the opening and generates the side wall surfaces so that said side wall surfaces in contact with the pin are. in a vertical plane at any specific time, or in other Words, a line contact. By making the opening 53 of arcuate contour it is possible to eliminate this surface of generation, but that would result in point contact of the pin and opening rather than the preferred line contact.

When the operating handle is in locked position extending longitudinally of the car, as shown in Fig. 1, provision is made for locking said handle in said position by applying the long leg 61 of the U-shaped seal pin 60 through the registering holes 28 in arm 27 and 28' in arm 22, and the short leg 62 of said seal pin through hole 25. The ordinary car seal (not shown) is then applied through hole 63 in short leg 62 so that the seal pin may not be withdrawn until the car seal is removed. When the seal pin 60 is so applied the operating handle obviously cannot be moved.

A half round bar 64 is applied in the angle between flange 16 and hatch frame 15 to provide a seat for the end of the locking dog 45.

After the lock, as above described, is applied to a hatch cover and the hatch cover is first applied to a hatch frame, the dog may not seat properly against the bar 64, but this can be corrected by rotating the cam pin 48, which provides an adjustment, until the dog does properly seat. After this adjustment is made the head of the cam pin is then spot welded to the wall 29 so that it will always remain in the adjusted position whereby the locking dog will function with the particular hatch frame conditions to which it is applied. When the operating handle is swung to a position transversely of the car, the dog will be swung to a position outwardly from under the hatch frame flange, thereby permitting the hatch cover to be opened. When, however, the operating handle is moved to a position longitudinally of the car, as shown in Fig. 1, the hatch cover will be locked in closed position.

I have illustrated and described the invention as applicable to a hatch frame of the most common type for hopper car roofs, though it is obvious the lock is applicable to other forms of hatch frames which have a channel shape rather than a V-shape upper margin. In either event, the improved hatch cover lock is readily operable therewith with equal results.

I claim:

1. A lock for the cover of a railway car hatch frame having upstanding walls and an outwardly turned flange; said lock comprising a bracket secured to said cover adjacent one side thereof, a locking dog pivoted to said bracket and engageable with said flange, an operating handle pivoted adjacent one end to said bracket and swingable in a plane parallel to said cover, said dog and handle being swingable in arcs in planes at right angles to each other, and a projection extending from the pivoted end of said handle into an opening in said dog, whereby operation of said handle through an arc in one plane will cause said dog to move through an arc in a plane at right angles thereto and engage or disengage said flange.

2. A lock for the cover of a railway car hatch frame having upstanding walls and an outwardly turned flange; said lock comprising a bracket secured to said cover adjacent one side thereof, a locking dog pivoted intermediate its ends to said bracket and swingable in a vertical plane and engageable with said flange, a bell crank operating handle pivoted to said bracket and swingable in a horizontal plane, and a projection extending from the pivoted end of said handle into an opening in said dog, whereby operation of said handle will cause said dog to engage or disengage said flange.

3. A look for the cover of a hatch frame, said lock comprising a bracket having a pair of spaced parallel walls, a locking dog pivotally mounted between said walls and having a longitudinal opening therein extending in a direction parallel with the axis of said pivotal mounting, said bracket having a second pair of spaced parallel walls extending parallel to the plane of said cover, a bell crank operating handle pivotally mounted at its apex between said second mentioned pair of walls, and a crank pin extending from the crank of said handle within said opening, whereby operation of said handle through an arc in one plane will cause said dog to move through an arc in a plane at right angles thereto.

4. A hatch cover lock comprising a bracket adapted to be secured to said cover, a. locking dog pivotally mounted to said bracket and having a longitudinal opening therein extending in a direction parallel with the axis of said pivotal mounting, a bell crank operating handle pivotally mounted at its apex to said bracket so as to swing in a plane parallel to said cover, and a crank pin extending from the crank of said handle within said opening, whereby operation of said handle through an arc in one plane will cause said dog to move through an arc in a plane at right angles thereto.

5. A hatch cover lock comprising a bracket adapted to be secured to said cover, a locking dog pivotally mounted to said bracket and having a longitudinal opening therein extending in a direction parallel with the axis of said pivotal mounting, an operating handle pivotally mounted to said bracket and swingable in a plane at right angles to that of the locking dog, and a crank pin extending from the pivoted end of said handle within said opening, whereby operation of said handle through an arc in one plane will cause said dog to move through an arc in a plane at right angles thereto.

6. A hatch cover lock bracket comprising a pair of spaced parallel walls extending in parallel planes and terminating in oppositely extending flanges each having a hole therethrough adapted to receive a seal pin, a pair of spaced parallel walls extending in parallel planes at right angles to the planes of said first mentioned walls and having alined openings therethrough adapted to receive a cam pin.

7. A hatch cover lock bracket comprising a base plate adapted to be secured to a hatch cover, a pair of spaced parallel walls extending in parallel planes parallel to said base plate, a pair of spaced parallel walls secured to said base plate and extending in parallel planes at right angles to the planes of said first mentioned walls and having alined openings therethrough adapted to receive a cam pin.

8. A locking dog for a hatch cover lock comprising a body portion having an opening intermediate its ends to receive a pin for pivotal mounting of said dog, a hook at one end of said body portion, a portion extending across the other end of said body portion, in a plane substantially normal thereto, and having an opening therein adapted to receive an actuating memher, said latter opening defined by the surface of revolution generated by said member moving through an arc in one plane while said dog moves in an arc in a plane at right angles thereto.

9. A locking dog for a hatch cover lock comprising a body portion having an opening intermediate its ends for pivotal mounting of said dog, a hook at one end of said body portion, a portion extending across the other end of said body portion in a plane substantially normal thereto, said portion having an irregular elongated opening therethrough, adapted to receive an actuating member, the axes of said openings being substantially normal to each other.

10. The locking dog defined an claim 9, the side walls of said latter opening being inclined to a surface of said portion progressively from one direction at one end of the opening to the other direction at the other end of the opening.

11. A locking dog for a hatch cover lock comprising a body portion having a hook at one end, a portion at the other end of said body portion extending in a plane substantially normal thereto, said portion having an opening therein adapted to receive an actuating member, the walls of said opening being defined by the surface of revolution generated by said member moving through an arc in one plane while said dog moves in an arc in a plane substantially normal thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 685,237 Holley Oct. 22, 1901 1,091,592 Schmidgall Mar. 31, 1914 2,220,901 Hartbauer Nov. 12, 1940 2,264,426 Young Dec. 2 1941 2,501,722 Hammerly et al. Mar. 28, 1950 2,576,978 Sward Dec. 4, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 255,647 Great Britain July 29, 1926 

